Department of Accounting / John A. Clinkenbeard / Larry Kickham

The Department of Accounting Scholarship was originally established in 1990. It was renamed in 1999 to honor the contributions of faculty member John A. Clinkenbeard. Mr. Clinkenbeard earned his B.A. and M.B.A. from the University of Chicago, and later earned his A.B.D. He was also a C.P.A. Mr. Clinkenbeard began his career as an educator in 1947 at Syracuse University in New York. He went on to teach at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, and Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, before coming to SVSU in 1969. He was an educator for 50 years and a member of the SVSU faculty for twenty-eight years.

He played an instrumental role in the establishment of the SVSU Accounting Department. Over the time of his service to SVSU, he taught every course in the Accounting curriculum. In 1985, he was honored with the Landee Award for Excellence in Teaching. Upon his retirement in 1997, Mr. Clinkenbeard received Emeritus status. The fund was created by gifts from faculty members and other donors. Mr. Clinkenbeard passed away in September 2006, in Manchester, New Jersey.

Establishment of the original scholarship fund was spearheaded by Lawrence J. (Larry) Kickham, who served the Accounting Department for 47 years until his retirement in 2021. Larry served as the Accounting Department Chair for 24 years, and on numerous boards and committees. Larry was a dedicated educator and received the House Family Award for Teacher Impact in 1997. When Larry passed away in 2022, his colleagues renamed the scholarship the Clinkenbeard/Kickham Accounting Scholarship.